Greg Chaney, Idaho House of Representatives

Op-Ed: When Leaders Play Games It’s The People Who Lose

By Rep. Greg Chaney

When House leadership and the President discovered their first attempt to revise Obamacare was a lost cause, they quickly launched an attack on Republican Congressmen, including Idaho’s Raul Labrador, who had refused to go along with House leadership’s plan because it fell short of fulfilling the GOP’s 6-year promise to relieve Americans from Obamacare’s burdens.

Congressional leadership could have accepted responsibility not listening; giving in to GOP members who repeatedly cast symbolic votes to repeal Obamacare, but lacked the stones to do it for real. Instead, they stirred up false fears among voters with claims that they’d abandon attempts to repeal Obamacare; they made overt threats the President would campaign against their re-election; they chose gamesmanship that leveraged voter’s fears against their elected representatives. Collateral damage in the fray were the promises you’d been made by those vying to serve you in Washington.

Similar games happen in Idaho government, too. A ranking House member has voted for, and even sponsored, bills he was working relentlessly to kill—lining up a veto or procedural stopgap behind the scenes. He’s also twisted every arm he could to guarantee a bill’s passage only to vote against it in the end. He makes unpopular policy hiding behind popular public positions. Good policies for you and your family are secondary to protecting his public perception.

Another GOP lawmaker infamously drafts left-leaning bills, covertly finds others to sponsor them, and either votes against his own work or takes a conveniently-timed bathroom break to avoid the vote.

It takes both strength of conviction and acute political instincts to oppose games in a way that accomplishes more than proving a point; political courage should always be focused toward improving public policy, not grabbing headlines. The healthcare bill and the passage of the grocery tax repeal are examples of political courage that kept the policy goals in focus.

The grocery tax repeal wouldn’t have happened without many of us refusing to play games and working together publicly and behind the scenes. The irony: political maneuvering might benefit you this time as the Governor’s gamesmanship with the timing of his veto have given several of us reason to challenge its validity in court. Typically, though, political maneuvering displaces the voters as the top priority of legislative business.

In Congress, standing firm has resulted in a bill that takes a bigger step toward repealing Obamacare and temporarily suspends Planned Parenthood funding. Unfortunately, the same weak-kneed gamesmanship is evident in the recent Omnibus that keeps money flowing to sanctuary cities and in the Senate’s tepid reception of the House healthcare bill.

Insist on Federal and State representation that is unafraid to confront whomever they must to ensure promises are kept. Weigh whether a stand is being made to oppose gamesmanship, or as a game unto itself. Communicate what’s important to you. Stay informed. Legislative leadership is elected: they work for your representatives the way your representatives work for you. The ultimate boss we all answer to is you the voter.

Committee Tours Prison(3/26/2018)-On Thursday, March 22, 2018 Rep. Greg Chaney and several of his fellow members of the House Judiciary, Rules, & Administration committee were given a tour of the Idaho State Correctional Center in Kuna, Idaho by Idaho Department of Corrections Director Henry Atencio and several members of the IDOC staff.

Chaney’s Final Bills Scheduled for Hearing(3/19/2018)-The last two bills worked on and sponsored by Rep. Greg Chaney will be heard in the Senate Judiciary & Rules Committee Monday, March 19, 2018. In addition to co-sponsoring other bills on issues such as taxation, occupational licensing, and criminal justice reform, Rep. Chaney took the lead on four pieces of legislation during the 2018 legislative session: Legislation Number Title/Description Current Status HCR36 Designates …